VERTICAL SCRATCHERS is John Schmersal (ex-Brainiac/Enon, live Caribou, and Crooks on Tape) and Christian Beaulieu (ex-Triclops!/Anywhere).

,Daughter of Everything" is their debut album. Simplicity was the inspiration: get in the van, rehearse in the van, tour in the van, stay mobile.

"I have played in a lot of bands with complicated set-ups and implemented technologies," says John.

"I also do a lot of recording and editing on computers, so part of the desire for simplicity was about wanting things to be as organic and in real time as possible." This impulse to keep things moving is reflected in the songs themselves.

Most Vertical Scratchers songs clock in under the two-minute mark but often go in twice as many directions as your average-length song.

Pop deception. Think the Kinks with a Buzzcocks brevity. ,Daughter of Everything" was recorded live in Los Angeles at The Smell in September of 2012.

The special guest appearance lead vocal from Robert Pollard was recorded at Waterloo Sound in Ohio by Todd Tobias.